At the core of this infrastructure is the Mecila eLibrary, a secure, virtual reading room designed specifically for copyrighted print materials that are not available in digital form. Access is restricted to registered Mecila project members and provided in compliance with German copyright law, ensuring legally compliant and equitable access to the materials. As of early 2025, the eLibrary hosts over 330 digitized titles, all selected from the Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut’s (IAI) extensive print holdings and curated for relevance to Mecila’s research themes. The collection includes works in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, covering a broad spectrum of social, cultural, and political topics central to the project.

Access to the Mecila Information Infrastructure is straightforward and free for all project members, including fellows, doctoral researchers, principal and associated investigators, and scientific coordinators. After personal registration, users are granted access to the services of the infrastructure, including the Mecila eLibrary, as well as to all digital resources of the IAI. While the eLibrary offers targeted access to digitized monographs, the Mecila Information Infrastructure provides users with access to the catalogues and services of all participating partner libraries. This includes the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) and digital services of the Ibero-American Institute (IAI), as well as those of the Daniel Cosío Villegas Library at El Colegio de México (Mexico), the Library of the Institute of Brazilian Studies at the University of São Paulo (Brazil), and the Professor Guillermo Obiols Library of the Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación / IdIHCS at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina). These resources, combined with the ability to request digitization of specific materials, ensure that researchers can access the scholarly foundations they need, regardless of location.